But only the Temecula Great Oak boys soccer team enjoyed a win to go with that lesson.

Ricardo Martinezâs goal in the 74th minute â" his second of the game â" allowed Great Oak to thwart a Perris comeback and score a 3-2 win in a non-league game on Monday, Dec. 17.

Great Oak improved to 4-0. Perris fell to 4-2-2 despite rallying from a two-goal deficit while playing a man short.

Martinezâs winning goal came just three minutes after Perris had tied the game at 2-2 on a goal by Rene Tomasino.

âWe had to really regroup, and play as a team,â Martinez said. âI knew we would be able to do it as long as we believed, because when you believe, you can achieve.â

Martinez was unsure who crossed the ball to him on a Great Oak counterattack, âbut I was one-on-one with the goalie, and I just chipped it over him.â

Martinez had scored on a penalty kick in the 54th minute against Perrisâ starting goalkeeper, Victor Medina, after Raul Diaz was sent off for a foul in the 18-yard box. But the game-winner came against backup Giovanni Martinez, who came in when Medina received a yellow card in the 68th minute.

âWhen I was on that one-one-one,â Martinez said, ânothing was really going through my head. Everything just kind of faded away, and I knew what I had to do to place it.â

The Martinez penalty kick had made it 2-0, and at that point, the Wolfpack appeared to be in command, having allowed Perris little in the way of offensive chances.

But after being held without a shot for the first 24 minutes of the second half, and despite playing with 10 men, the Panthers rallied, with Daniel Juarez scoring in the 66th minute and Tomasino getting the equalizer just five minutes later.

âThe momentum just shifted,â said Great Oak coach Adam Skumawitz. âI think we took our foot off the gas pedal when they got red-carded.â

Even though it did not result in a win or draw, the comeback still made the afternoon worthwhile for Perris coach Kevin Cauchon.

âIt means a lot to be able to do that with just 10 players,â Cauchon said. âThis game was a very physical game, aggressive game, and to do that â" to hang with them, a great program â" good things are going to happen for us in (the Sunbelt) league. â¦

âIt was definitely worth coming down here.â

Great Oak established its lead in the 17th minute, as Dominic Elizondo scored off Yezzan Naberâs corner kick. Perris nearly equalized in the 40th minute, but Wolfpack keeper Hunter Fitzimons tipped Kelvin Garciaâs shot over the crossbar.

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